Kicking Goals with Footy Feud
By Seth Robinson
Bachelor of Commerce alum Andrew Williams took his love for footy and created “Footy Feud” the first – and only – AFL licensed card game on the market.
For so many of us who move to Melbourne, the discovery of AFL and the sporting culture that surrounds it is a shock to the system. It’s a passion that crosses over generations, with what club you support often determined by family legacy. Andrew Williams – Bachelor of Commerce alum and Western Bulldogs supporter – turned his love of footy into a business and an outlet for his creativity when he created Footy Feud a card game that has kicked goals with parents and children alike.
“Footy Feud began with what I guess is a kind of quirky passion, which is that I love designing games on the side. It’s a kind of really therapeutic, analytic creativity for me,” says Andrew. “I first had the idea for Footy Feud in 2014, when I was coaching junior sport.
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I showed my initial idea to some of my players, so ages 10-14, and their parents, and there was actually a bit of interest there. I took the idea away and did some product development, then launched a super basic version of the game at Christmas in 2015. Today, it’s essentially that same game, although in terms of the design, packaging, etc, it’s evolved. I ended up meeting with the AFL in 2016, to show them the concept, and got some really good feedback. It’s now been updated and is produced with their approval and branding, and is sold in their stores.”
Footy Feud, has also won over parents and teachers, as it helps improve children’s numeracy skills, chiefly things like times tables and mental arithmetic.
Andrew also works full time in a sales role with Swisse. It’s been an interesting experience for him, balancing the two roles, and taking learnings from one to the other.
“For me a big part of it has been getting an understanding of the whole value chain. You connect with everyone from the designers to the wholesalers. You’re responsible for managing supply, marketing, and sales. So, it’s fantastic to get that overview, but it’s also really important to understand sometimes it’s others who will have the expertise. For example, the design of the cards now is very different to the original version I did on Powerpoint.”
Now, Andrew is considering the future of Footy Feud.
“There are a lot of things I would like to do with it, obviously scaling up on the current version, getting more in the way of exposure and sales, but there are other options too. I’ve been looking a lot at Kickstarter, which I didn’t use before, but I think is an incredible platform. I think the value there is that it not only allows you to raise capital, but to start building a community and a group of people who are interested in your product prior to launch. So, I’m thinking about that. There are other opportunities as well, I’ve considered how Footy Feud might lend itself to an American, NFL version of the game. One day, I do envision the idea of having a portfolio with maybe half-a-dozen products out there.”